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A. Cheilletz and M. Maia
encouraged by the wealth of our subsoil (around ten exploration licenses are currently
being examined), the main players’ efforts currently focus on the EEZ and the submarine
area, which constitutes for France a potential source of mineral raw materials.
Alongside this targeted effort, the deployment of a controlled raw material supply
policy draws first and foremost upon government initiatives aimed at better price
regulation on international markets, in order to avoid speculative effects related to
sharp price variations as far as possible. This is the intent of the policy currently
implemented by France within the G20. In the field, as concerns the research and
development aspects of this policy, mobilisation involves reactivating the links between the various players: universities, public scientific and technical research establishments (CNRS-Research Institute for Development, IRD), public industrial
and commercial establishments (BRGM, Ifremer, National Agency for Radioactive
Waste Management, IFP, Atomic Energy Commission) and major industrial partners (Total, GDF-Suez, EDF, Areva, Eramet, Rhodia, Eurogia, Schlumberger).
The role of several French SMEs and investment funds that are currently very
active in this field should not be overlooked either. The newly created programmatic group 2 of the ANCRE Alliance identifies three key challenges in terms of
fossil and geothermal energies (V8/08-06-2010). The first is to boost energy independence by re-examining the potential of fossil and geothermal resources on a national scale (including French overseas territories); the second is to meet the urgent
need to respond to climate change; the third is to identify and increase the critical
metal resources used in new carbon-free energy sectors.
As for CNRS, the majority of their Earth science research capacities are gathered
within one of its ten institutes, INSU.
Among the various joint research units (UMR) and Earth science and astronomy observatories (OSU) which make up INSU, several are specialised in oceanographic sciences, in particular marine geosciences. Among these entities, the OSU
IUEM (the European University Institute of the Sea) in Brest is entirely devoted to
research and training in marine sciences. This OSU is based on a close partnership
between UBO, CNRS, IRD and Ifremer laboratories, as well as on strong links with
the Brittany Maritime Cluster. LabexMer (“Laboratory of excellence” in marine research) boosts the visibility of this national marine cluster. Other national and international research groups exist in Villefranche-sur-Mer (GéoAzur, with support from
the universities of Paris VI and Nice, CNRS and IRD) and at the Institute of Earth
Physics of Paris (IPGP, marine geosciences). These teams show strong research and
training potential in the field of marine geosciences in France.
In terms of research on natural resources, a major organisation effort was undertaken following the INSU foresight study in 2008. The establishment of a thematic
committee on “Geological resources and sustainable development” was the pivotal element. Several actions followed, in particular the organisation of specialised
foresight workshops (underground hydrogeological resources, basins), the creation
of CNRS schools on resources (Nancy in 2010 then Orléans in 2011) and support for coordinated actions, within the framework of incentive actions as part of
the CESSUR-INSU programme. Other parallel initiatives have been developed by
CNRS, such as the GUTEC-PACEN programme (geology of uranium and thorium,
A. Cheilletz and M. Maia
encouraged by the wealth of our subsoil (around ten exploration licenses are currently
being examined), the main players’ efforts currently focus on the EEZ and the submarine
area, which constitutes for France a potential source of mineral raw materials.
Alongside this targeted effort, the deployment of a controlled raw material supply
policy draws first and foremost upon government initiatives aimed at better price
regulation on international markets, in order to avoid speculative effects related to
sharp price variations as far as possible. This is the intent of the policy currently
implemented by France within the G20. In the field, as concerns the research and
development aspects of this policy, mobilisation involves reactivating the links between the various players: universities, public scientific and technical research establishments (CNRS-Research Institute for Development, IRD), public industrial
and commercial establishments (BRGM, Ifremer, National Agency for Radioactive
Waste Management, IFP, Atomic Energy Commission) and major industrial partners (Total, GDF-Suez, EDF, Areva, Eramet, Rhodia, Eurogia, Schlumberger).
The role of several French SMEs and investment funds that are currently very
active in this field should not be overlooked either. The newly created programmatic group 2 of the ANCRE Alliance identifies three key challenges in terms of
fossil and geothermal energies (V8/08-06-2010). The first is to boost energy independence by re-examining the potential of fossil and geothermal resources on a national scale (including French overseas territories); the second is to meet the urgent
need to respond to climate change; the third is to identify and increase the critical
metal resources used in new carbon-free energy sectors.
As for CNRS, the majority of their Earth science research capacities are gathered
within one of its ten institutes, INSU.
Among the various joint research units (UMR) and Earth science and astronomy observatories (OSU) which make up INSU, several are specialised in oceanographic sciences, in particular marine geosciences. Among these entities, the OSU
IUEM (the European University Institute of the Sea) in Brest is entirely devoted to
research and training in marine sciences. This OSU is based on a close partnership
between UBO, CNRS, IRD and Ifremer laboratories, as well as on strong links with
the Brittany Maritime Cluster. LabexMer (“Laboratory of excellence” in marine research) boosts the visibility of this national marine cluster. Other national and international research groups exist in Villefranche-sur-Mer (GéoAzur, with support from
the universities of Paris VI and Nice, CNRS and IRD) and at the Institute of Earth
Physics of Paris (IPGP, marine geosciences). These teams show strong research and
training potential in the field of marine geosciences in France.
In terms of research on natural resources, a major organisation effort was undertaken following the INSU foresight study in 2008. The establishment of a thematic
committee on “Geological resources and sustainable development” was the pivotal element. Several actions followed, in particular the organisation of specialised
foresight workshops (underground hydrogeological resources, basins), the creation
of CNRS schools on resources (Nancy in 2010 then Orléans in 2011) and support for coordinated actions, within the framework of incentive actions as part of
the CESSUR-INSU programme. Other parallel initiatives have been developed by
CNRS, such as the GUTEC-PACEN programme (geology of uranium and thorium,